The Man Behind Vikram's Success - Lokesh Kanagaraj

Vikram director Lokesh Kanagaraj can give a film pan-India appeal just with his script and action-packed sequences

- Lakshmi Subramanian

As Lokesh Kanagaraj joins the press conference, a hush descends over the room, before the silence is broken by the incessant click of cameras. His idol Kamal Haasan, who is also the hero of his latest film, Vikram, rises to welcome the director who has given him a blockbuster after six long years. Vikram grossed over 300 crore worldwide in the first 10 days of its release. All credit to Kanagaraj, 36, who conceived the story and screenplay. With the super-hit action thriller, the young filmmaker is now the latest sensation in Tamil cinema.

Kanagaraj, it is said, can give a film pan-India appeal just with his script and action-packed sequences. Despite the film's success, however, he has kept his feet firmly planted on the ground. More than success, the fear of failure has always haunted Kanagaraj. “If the film fails, it is not just me who fails, but also the technicians who worked with me, my entire team and the audience which believed in me. Even if a viewer is spending 200 for the ticket, if the movie fails it is a loss for them. If I understand this responsibility and fear failure, I feel I will be myself and can deliver,” says Kanagaraj.